To the World and Back
by Mitch74
Summary: Revision 2 updated! Check the NC-17 section... (really, there's lemon only in the 1st chapter...)
1. To the World and Back : Chinese adventur...

To The World and Back  
  
Disclaimer : I own none of the characters depicted below, they're Takahashi Rumiko's.  
  
It's a continuation story, it was inspired by a bunch of fanfics, more specifically /Little Red/ by Coutuva. Some battle scenes are inspired by Gunnm, Thoughts of the Mongoose, or otherwise the manga (thanks to the Ranma Scan Project btw). Since I'm French, my writing may seem sluggish or incorrect at times, please let me know. I have a few ideas for a sequel, but it could be a standalone story.  
  
Revision 1.1  
  
***  
  
Akane woke up feeling light-headed. She could not remember why she was in her bed, completely clothed, without any remembrance of how she came to this. All she could feel was some feeling of loss.  
  
"Akane! You asleep or what?"  
  
Shaken out of her thoughts by her sister's voice, she went down the stairs. Nabiki was tapping her feet impatiently.  
  
"Honestly Akane! Ranma will be there any second now. Don't you think you should be there to greet him?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"He's coming back from his 7 months training trip today! We got a call from Uncle yesterday saying they would be there today!"  
  
Oh, yes. the trip. It felt as if Ranma had left only days ago...  
  
In fact she could not remember a thing since the day after he had left. Her memories were fuzzy at best, and the more she tried to remember, the less she could grasp them. They were all like soap bubbles, exploding as soon as she thought she could grab them. The only thing she knew was that that feeling of loss got more intense the more she tried to remember.  
  
"Are you okay Akane?"  
  
Akane looked at her older sister's face as she spoke, only meeting Kasumi's worried gaze. When she reassured her that everything was fine, Kasumi's smile appeared again but looked more strained than usual. Attributing it to her lingering drowsiness, she looked around the house. Everything seemed the same, yet something was amiss. Soun was here, quietly reading the paper. Nabiki was laying down on a cushion, lost in an Evangelion tankouban she must have read many times already, judging by the sorry state it was in.  
  
There was a knock at the door. Not knowing why she felt so giddy to have the baka back, she went to open.  
  
Here, alive and more or less well, were the battered forms of a panda and a soaked petite redhead looking back at her. And hidden behind the grumpy face of the last, the Look.  
  
The one Ranma had given her the day before his departure.  
  
And before that, that time in Jusenkyo when she had waken up in his arms; the time when she had held him after his bout against Herb. The look he had had when she had told him she'd go back to Nerima with him. And another time...  
  
No, that was only a fantasy conjured by her teenage hormones running wild.  
  
But this look...  
  
For the third time today, Akane was pulled out of her reveries by her sisters, who bade the Saotomes inside. Kasumi had a kettle waiting for them. Ranma refused it, saying he'd rather go and wash himself instead of bringing dust and shedding water all around inside the house.  
  
After a few minutes, Akane decided to go and bring Ranma a change of clothes. She got him right after he got out of the furo, a towel around his waist. She couldn't help but think how good he looked. And suddenly her fantasy didn't look so much like one... Ranma didn't look like it was the first time, either.  
  
Of course, it's always better to make sure via reenacting. (no, I won't write any lemon! But I could, since what you think happened, did happen.)  
  
No knowing why, Akane started to cry right after their lovemaking. It was strange, really. It was, she remembered now, their second time together. The first time had been the evening of the day after their failed wedding. Soun and Genma had been out to drown their sorrow in sake, the Master had been sent to the hospital after he had complained that water was not good to celebrate a wedding, Kasumi was resting in her room after tidying up the house and dojo all day before, and Nabiki was in hiding, fearing for a training evaluation session.  
  
Ranma had been pissed when he came back from doc Tofu's, Akane had been pissed when she discovered her dress wasn't salvageable without heavy work, and they had decided to calm down by venting their frustration on each other. Since the dojo was still unusable and they didn't want to kill Kasumi by wrecking the house more, they decided to go at it through the sake that had been kept in hiding during the catastrophic events of the day before. Before they knew it, both were half-naked, kissing in a frenzy, rolling on the ground, as if wrestling their way through their feelings...  
  
After this, all had been hazy, except for the fact that they had been at it like rabbits up to 4 am, when Ranma decided to go to his room so as not to raise their families' suspicions. Things had gone more or less to what they had been before, both lovers too embarrassed to talk to each other... Until the night before Ranma's departure. He had told her he'd marry her for good as soon as he came back. She wanted to tell him something important too, but the hell with her if she could remember what it was.  
  
And the more she tried to remember, the more she cried.  
  
"Hey 'Kane, you all right? I'm sorry I shouldn't have..."  
  
"No Ranma, I dunno really. I'm glad you're back, but... No, it's nothing. I'm being silly."  
  
***  
  
When they both announced their intention to get married, the results were not exactly what they expected. Kasumi smiled at them, but it looked pained by something, Nabiki only gave them her congratulations and told her that whatever they'd need for their wedding they'd have, with a huge discount of course.  
  
Soun and Genma were waving fans around, and Nodoka smiled approvingly.  
  
"A proper heir at last! The legacy of the Tendo and Saotome Ryu is certain now!"  
  
This had Ranma's and Akane's faces burning red. But Akane wondered at the addition by her father of "proper" to the usual motto of the grown men (well, physically, they were! It's not my fault their minds never went past toddlers'!)  
  
***  
  
The wedding went without a hitch this time.  
  
  
***  
  
"Ranma..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Could you please... Well..."  
  
"What Akane?"  
  
"When we're doing... it... don't squeeze them so hard, it hurts a bit."  
  
"But I did it before, and you liked it? What seems to be the trouble?"  
  
"Well, they started to hurt ok!"  
  
"Geez, don't shout, let's go see Tofu-sensei and ask him what's the problem, ok?"  
  
"Arumph!"  
  
"Hey tomboy, it's this or no more whipped cream with strawberries!"  
  
"Oh okay, I'll go! But it's nothing really!"  
  
"Hey I like them! They got real big while I was away, I can't call you a flat-chested tomboy, so revel in it!"  
  
***  
  
Tofu's clinic.  
  
"Well Akane, you're lactating. It is quite unusual, since you're not in the last stages of pregnancy, are you?"  
  
"No doctor, and I use birth control."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Well, since Ranma and I..." Akane turned into her namesake (deep red).  
  
"...became physically acquainted."  
  
"After the first time, yes."  
  
Ono Tofu raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh? How long ago?"  
  
"Almost ten months ago, I'd say."  
  
"I haven't seen you since then Akane, I was on a trip, did you have a miscarriage or something? Anything I should add to your records?"  
  
"No doctor, not that I can..."  
  
At this, Akane paled.  
  
"I can't remember a thing since Ranma went on his training trip."  
  
Tofu had Akane lying down on a table, naked, Ranma hovering protectively over his wife. Since Tofu had been her physician since she'd been little, he'd also been her first gynaecologist. She changed at 15, when she started having a crush on him, by fear of acting inconsiderately. But now, she was married to Ranma. Her father had made her transfer her files back to Tofu; in fact he had done it already. It was easier this way, after all.  
  
Doctor Tofu checked something, then again, and then started manipulating her hips. He looked at her waist and stomach attentively, adjusting his glasses and poking in some places.  
  
"Akane, I am forced to ask you this : do you remember having been pregnant and giving birth?"  
  
Akane blanched.  
  
"No doctor. I don't."  
  
Doctor Tofu switched to her head, noticing small fading bruises all around her scalp.  
  
"Akane, do you remember the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique?"  
  
"I've already been subjected to it, but Ranma managed to break it's effects."  
  
"Oh? Well then I can try this."  
  
"What?"  
  
Tofu poked a nerve cluster behind her neck. Akane tensed, looked around her with a haunted look in her eyes, clutching her stomach. When Ranma tried to calm her down by holding her, she grabbed him roughly and started bawling in his shirt.  
  
"My baby... They took her from me...!"  
  
Doctor Tofu had a stunned look on his face, not believing anyone could do this to Akane.  
  
Ranma was simply standing there. His frozen face was devoid of emotion, but his eyes were first stunned, then fearful, then they let place to some joy, quickly turning to silent anger. His eyes, usually grey-blue, became grey as steel. Someone had stolen his child and hurt Akane.  
  
***  
  
When they came back, they went to see Nabiki. The look in their eyes was enough to make her understand that fooling around was unsafe. She got business-like, secured her room's door, and in a display of ability nobody knew she had, she bounded out through her window, beckoning the couple to follow her. They started roof-hopping until they reached a park.  
  
"Okay, my offer at the wedding still stands, and it was, after all, the reason why I made it."  
  
"Why did you take my baby from me?" Akane was reigning in her emotions. Nabiki knew that if her answers were not up to par, there would be hell to pay.  
  
"I didn't want to. You can't remember much of it because you've been set up, and so were Kasumi and I. We were overjoyed at the prospect of being aunts so soon, Kasumi especially. But when you came back from your first echography, Father had a discussion with Nodoka and they agreed the child was a hindrance."  
  
"Why?" Ranma was of cold steel, voice and face.  
  
"A girl can't be the heir to both schools. And raising her would prevent both of you from dedicating yourself to another male child's training."  
  
They both opened their mouths to speak in outrage, but Nabiki, with a look and a gesture that allowed no argument, silenced them.  
  
"How they did it without my knowing, I'll never know. Genma was not included in the plan, of that I'm quite sure : I remembered after many conversations between him and Father on the phone, where Father managed to delay him. Since I tape all of the phone calls in the house, they had no way of communicating, and Genma isn't one to keep big secrets for long now that you Ranma know how he acts in such cases, don't you?  
  
Ranma nodded in assent. Nabiki continued.  
  
"Moreover, his acting towards you when you turned into a female were not of letting go of you altogether, but having you training harder to overcome this state. As I see it, had you kept the child, he would have pushed you along to train her even harder. Don't you think?"  
  
"Why didn't you do anything?"  
  
"I was put in front of the 'fait accompli', so to speak. Father ordered both Kasumi and I to forget all of this and get on as if nothing had happened. I had never seen Kasumi so down since Mother's death, but she wouldn't disobey Father, you know how she is. Father menaced to have me disowned, and all my framings shown to the police. He had kept a good track of them, and I could have ended up in prison had I only intended to open my mouth."  
  
"Why now, then?"  
  
"I needed time to cover my tracks, discover every aspects of the old bags' plans, and make sure they couldn't counteract any action you'd put into motion."  
  
Ranma had another suspicion coming.  
  
"By the way, where did the shampoo come from?"  
  
"Cologne helped. She recognized Akane as a good would-be Amazon, and the child was of a considerable value to her. Moreover, bringing back such a present would allow Shampoo to recover from any dishonour she'd had. As far as I know, the purple haired bimbo wasn't happy with the way it settled. She wanted to make you forget about Ranma altogether and bring him back with her, but Cologne didn't want of a hot-headed Son-in-law after Saffron's episode. So she took care of Akane herself. Some Amazon treatment for fast recovery after delivery and voila, Akane would never discover a thing."  
  
"Problem is, I've become less receptive to the memory erasing technique after Shampoo's first bout."  
  
"Either she didn't know that, or she let you an open door, is a thing you'll have to discuss with her."  
  
"Where is Ukyo?"  
  
"When she discovered Akane was pregnant, she disappeared."  
  
"Do you know where?"  
  
"She got drunk, popped Konatsu's cherry so to speak, and is now following birth classes in Kansai. If it's a boy, they'll call him Ranma, else it will be Akane. If you accept. I managed to keep contact with her even though Nodoka got a restraining order against her." The ghost of a smile appeared at the corner of Nabiki's mouth.  
  
"Will you help us recover our child?"  
  
"I haven't managed to get hold of half of Kuno's money over the last month for nothing. But money will mean little against a whole village of crazed Amazons."  
  
"Do you know where Ryoga is?"  
  
  
"Happily married to Akari, having forgotten both of you ever existed : he stumbled upon the abduction, and the Old Ghoul erased his memories of you three. Knowing the dim head, there's no way he'll recover his memories spontaneously. I'm sorry, you're more than likely on your own fighting wise."  
  
At this, the stern couple nodded.  
  
"You didn't have a honeymoon, right?"  
  
"Well, no?" Akane looked at Nabiki as if she'd grown a second head, while Ranma had a dawning look of comprehension on his face.  
  
"Here you go, then."  
  
And she handed both of them a manual labelled 'From Japanese to Chinese Language in 100 lessons', two plane tickets (economy class of course) and passports vised by the Chinese embassy.  
  
"Good training, and get me some Oolong tea, ok? And please, bring me back my niece."  
  
A tear ran it's way along the Ice Queen's cheek.  
  
***  
  
Shanghai  
  
Ranma and Akane quickly discarded their clothes in a hotel suite Nabiki had rented for them, Ranma putting on jeans and a cap, Akane dying her hair and wearing a business suit, they made their way to a small tea house. As they left, a man and a woman looking very much like them entered their room and put on their discarded clothes, making it look as if the couple would simply spend it's honeymoon here.  
  
When they entered the tea house, Ranma asked in Chinese :  
  
"We're the Tanaka (they still looked Japanese, surgery was NOT an option - hence a false Japanese name), we're here for the jobs."  
  
An old woman appraised them with a half-lidded look. She looked to be made of pretty much the same stuff Cologne was made of.  
  
"Tell me why you seek training?"  
  
"Our child has been taken from us."  
  
"Is it enough of a reason?"  
  
"Admitting it for a fact would be admitting defeat. We won't."  
  
She looked at them hard.  
  
"Well Ranma, I'll introduce you to the higher forms as I told you I would last time you were here, and I'll teach your consort. When shall we begin?  
  
"Immediately if possible."  
  
"Very well. Oh by the way Ranma..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You know this kind of fighting isn't the ONLY thing taught in a tea house. You wanna in?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Ranma was clueless. Akane, on the other hand, discovered whipped cream wasn't the only thing with any appeal."  
  
***  
  
This went on for weeks, Ranma and Akane furthering their training and hiding their track more thoroughly as time went by, going to many places Ranma had visited previously, but also some his father had discarded because of a lack of time.  
  
Now though, they were dedicated enough to learn most of what was taught in only a few days, Ranma already having the groundwork made and helping Akane along. She proved herself an able practitioner of Tendo Ryu, and caught up fast (as for endurance training and stretching, they worked on it at night : Akane had gotten some material to read and practice at the tea house).  
  
Finally they reached Jusenkyo, that Ranma knew was the entry door to Joketsuzoku. They avoided the recently restored springs, Ranma not even bothering to get some water for curing himself : he had thought hard about it on the way, and remembered the curses melded in Taro's case, and didn't want to turn into more of a freak than what he already was. He also didn't want to risk Akane getting cursed either.  
  
When they reached the village, a sentry asked them to turn back and go away. When they told her that Ranma and Akane wanted to see Khu Lon and Xian Pu for the matter of their abducted daughter, the sentry charged them. They discarded her fast.  
  
They decided to charge in, and started to eradicate every and all amazons standing in their way. Soon, they had gotten themselves surrounded by the Elders and their best guards; Xian Pu wasn't amongst them.  
  
"Why are you there, jap scum?"  
  
"Ask your War Leader!"  
  
All eyes turned towards Cologne.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You took our daughter from us!"  
  
"You have no daughter."  
  
"I gave birth to her, I should know!"  
  
"How comes... Nobody's ever been able to recover from the Xi Fa Xiang Gao!"  
  
"Well, I did! Twice!"  
  
"Anyway, you admit having done it!", Ranma roared.  
  
"It doesn't matter. She is not your daughter anymore. Japan has rejected her, she is now one of us."  
  
"GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!"  
  
The rage in Akane's voice was enough to make most of the warriors take a step back. The Elders, though, were still looking at Khu Lon.  
  
"You didn't want her. She'll be happy here, while she would have been shunned in Japan. Go away, and never come back."  
  
"We'll do just that. Right after you give us our daughter back."  
  
"You rejected her."  
  
"I didn't even know I had a daughter before I came back from my training trip!"  
  
"I was put asleep right after the delivery! I never even had the chance to hold her! GIVE ME BACK MY CHILD!"  
  
Some warriors, their hairdo made of a single bun, started to waver. Ranma surmised they must be mothers themselves.  
  
"Or else?"  
  
"We'll destroy everything that will stand on our path. You included. Child stealer."  
  
One of the Elders started to speak.  
  
"You told us this child had been given to you as a token of the greatness of the Amazons, Khu Lon. Never have you told us you'd stolen it."  
  
Another started to speak.  
  
"It doesn't matter. The child is ours, and has tremendous potential. She'll do better with us than with these... people. Khu Lon was right."  
  
Soon a schism had created itself amongst the Elders. Most disagreed, but enough remained set in their ways that they and their followers turned against Ranma and Akane again.  
  
"You should be proud that such an honour has been granted to one of your kind, scum. We'll teach you never to dishonour the Amazons again!"  
  
And they charged. The Elders stayed back, watching their finest warriors unleashing a hell of fists and steel on the couple. The battle raged for a few minutes, Akane taking down a large group of charging warriors. Although far more coordinated and skilled than the boys she had had to fend off two years before, her improved skills allowed her to make up for the increase in difficulty and she drove through them like a bull in a bush.   
  
Needless to say, the results were a slightly battered and scratched Akane standing amidst a bunch of broken Amazons. All were unconscious, most had one or more limbs bent at unnatural angles. All the blades had been broken or bent, a destroyed pair of bonboris was even recognisable in the hands of a fallen warrior.  
  
"How in all the Hells...?" Cologne had known Akane was not so bad, after all she could give Shampoo a challenge in a straight fight, but this was unexpected!  
  
"You'd better have them work on the Bakusai Ten Ketsu some more, old prune. Ryouga was far tougher than that!" Akane taunted.  
  
"Impossible!"  
  
"Believe it. I'm a martial artist too, you know."  
  
During that time, Ranma was leading his own array of enraged Amazon women after him, taunting them, making faces at them and managing to break their faces into hideous scowls. After all, he had years of practice behind him, might as well make use of it. Moreover, he didn't want to have another bunch of crazed Amazons after him for his hand in marriage when they'd wake up. Seeing this, Akane edged away from the rapidly running group.  
  
Not to say, as soon as they were mad enough, Ranma sent them flying via his advanced form of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. No spiral pattern, thus no one could guess his intentions : he sent them all packing, not even touching them. This way, there should be no problem.  
  
It came down to Ranma and Akane facing Cologne and a dozen other Elders.  
  
"Quite impressive, yet you'll have to do better than that to-"  
  
"-defeat 3000 years of Amazon history blablabla, cut it already!" Ranma then took a wondering pose and asked, "which one of you is 3000? I mean, it's hard to tell."  
  
That got most of them boiling, but two - the youngest, not 80 yet - started sniggering. This earned them a collective glare from the Eldests, and they started to look around, whistling.  
  
"You won't get away with this outrage, Ranma Saotome!" Cologne shouted.  
  
At this, half the group raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You mean Ranma Saotome, who defeated both Haabu and Safuron? THE Ranma Saotome? The one who has been able to beat a God to save his fiancée?"  
  
"His wife now, thank you very much!" Akane added.  
  
"Meaning you are Akane Tendo, the one able to survive longer than it should have been possible as a doll, and even then to deflect a dead-on attack from the Godling?"  
  
"Hey, I was dying, and Ranma wouldn't move! I had nothing to lose!"  
  
This cast silence over the Elders.  
  
"My, I've got a potion cooking."  
  
"Oops look at the time, I gotta get my great-great-great-etc. granddaughter at school."  
  
"I'm an old bag, but I'm not a fool, Khu Lon. You must have turned senile to go against these people, they are dangerous, and you got them pissed at you. Call me a coward if you wish, a prudent Elder is an Elder still, but a dead Elder is still dead."  
  
This is how Khu Lon found herself facing two very angry (and starting to get impatient) martial artists.  
  
"You're still 300 years too young to take me on, youngsters! Splitting Cat's hair!"  
  
"Splitting Cat's Hair revised : Ghost BreakDance!"  
  
The images of Cologne found themselves amongst a flurry of Ranmas and Akanes all in strange positions, but without the motion blur the Elder's technique brought on, instead they moved as if they were all separate entities : a couple was dancing, some others were running, another was behind a bush fooling around, some were giving them red eyes and/or strawberries, and some were charging towards Cologne herself.  
  
Who was forced to dispel her illusion to block.  
  
"Never use a technique twice against me, Old Ghoul!"  
  
Cologne found herself hard pressed to block all the blows coming her way. Only her diminutive size (there was less areas to cover) allowed her to do so, and they were not pressing her really hard : they intended to wear her out and finish her!  
  
She leapt backwards, giving herself space and breaking contact, Akane following. Ranma just stayed there.  
  
While she thought that Akane would be piece of cake, she quickly found herself on the ground, since slower than Ranma, Akane was still fast enough to tag her, and her strength was enough to make blocking painful. Also, while there were holes in her defences, her toughness was enough to allow her to shrug attacks off, and no useful shiatsu points were free. The only times she was able to press some, Akane had immediately used another one to nullify the effect and made use of her outstretched arm or cane to throw her hard. After all, Akane was REALLY good with handheld devices.  
  
And Ranma still waited.  
  
Cologne was getting frustrated : she was at a standstill with Akane, the girl never letting her time to use more advanced tricks and obviously having such stamina that she could keep fighting this way for hours or even days. She decided to end it quickly before she was too worn out, and using a meditation technique released a massive dose of adrenaline in her bloodstream, her heart started beating wildly, her breathing got deeper and faster, she was suddenly as strong as a bull and faster than a hornet, and-  
  
Akane had made use of the thousandth of a second needed for her to start the technique and had struck.  
  
Right at her suddenly overtaxed heart.  
  
Bending in two, her breathing cut, her heart hammering out of control, the backlash of the adrenaline shutting down her brain functions, she could not avoid the following onslaught.  
  
A punch from Akane took her cane away from her slackened grip, an overhead hammer kick struck her head, soon followed by an elbow drop which landed on the back of her skull. Each blow had a thunderclap of compressed air accompanying it.  
  
Her vision black, her hearing dampened, her body racked with pain, Cologne told herself she was right after all : she was 300 years too old for these games, and the Bakusai Ten Ketsu did need some improvement. Not good enough anymore...  
  
She slumped unconscious in front of a winded Akane, who almost collapsed in exhaustion in her husband's arms.  
  
"I know where she is."  
  
That got Akane instantly awake.  
  
"I will take care of her guardian. You're in no condition to fight her after your bout with the old prune."  
  
Akane nodded. She could guess who was still standing between her and her child.  
  
"Shampoo."  
  
"Un." Ranma simply grunted in confirmation.  
  
They headed towards the house Ranma had pinpointed as being Cologne's. People watched them go, parting in front of them. The woman had obviously beaten the War Leader in a straight fight, and her husband was said to be better than her. That a male could be so strong was anathema to most of them, but the few who had tried to belittle Mu Tsu knew better.  
  
When the myopic boy had come back, many had tried to get him back down where he belun, yet they had found themselves glad the Kiss of Marriage was only for outsiders. And Since Mu Tsu was openly still training to get up to Ranma's level, it spoke volumes about the pigtailed guy's strenght.  
  
"Mousse, I don't wanna fight you. Stand aside."  
  
"I gotta defend Xian Pu, sorry."  
  
"Then help us to convince her to give us our daughter back, and there will be no need for fighting anymore."  
  
"Oh, I tried. She wouldn't listen to me."  
  
"Well, no hard feelings, then."  
  
"Prepare yourself, Saotome."  
  
Mu Tsu showed dexterity and skills far beyond the average Amazon warrior. His mastery of hidden weapons was tremendous, he had managed to compensate his bad eyesight through the use of his other senses yet wore glasses, goggles to be precise, less likely to drop and/or break in a fight.  
  
Ranma still managed to weave through the tornado of steel, then Mousse jumped, trying to overwhelm Ranma under an ever denser storm of chains, knives and spears (and the occasional yo-yo and training potty).  
  
Ranma jumped on a chain, ran along it, and delivered a flat palm strike to Mousse's chest.  
  
"Box Shake-up Blow!"  
  
Suddenly Mousse's robes shredded and all his weapons fell to the floor. Both fighters dropped to the ground. Then it started raining, and Ranma changed. Mousse didn't, though.  
  
"Now I've got you, Saotome. I've got the reach advantage and am now stronger than you!"  
  
"Hey! How comes you don't change?"  
  
"Waterproof soap."  
  
"Oh? Where did you get this stuff?"  
  
"I'll give you a voucher for some one of these days, ok?"  
  
"Hey thanks, you're a pal!"  
  
"No problem. But shall we finish, before that?"  
  
"Huh? Ok."  
  
And the fight resumed. Ranma couldn't strike Mousse, and his blows were powerful.  
  
"Damn! Hauling this statue around really made you tougher, duck-boy!"  
  
Mousse grinned.  
  
"I can't beat you using my usual style. Only thing is, it's not the only one I know."  
  
Ranma got the smile of the cat who just ate the canary.  
  
She rushed Mousse, no more than a blur, then rolled to the ground in front of him while he was extending in a blow, feeling her charge forward. Tucked into a ball, Ranma was upside down under him. Then like a too much pressed spring, she extended into an inverted scissor kick catching Mousse under the chin, flipping from her handstand in front of him, her elbow found his jaw, and she finished her rotation by a reverse knuckle hammer.  
  
Mousse flipped on his feet, and charged, ready to strike. Extending his right arm in a lightning fast blow to Ranma's head, his target suddenly blurred backwards, then down. Before he could recover, Ranma had straightened up, twisting her torso to accompany the wide arc her elbow described, landing perfectly on Mousse's chin with a loud crack. Mousse staggered, disoriented by the violent blow.  
  
Ranma wasn't done though, and using the momentum acquired in her last blow, delivered a straight punch in Mousse's gut, making him bend forward.  
  
Right in the path of her raised knee.  
  
Mousse tripped over his feet and fell. Ranma was on him, her fist inches from crushing his windpipe.  
  
"Yield?"  
  
"Wo Ai Ni."  
  
"Hey none of that nonsense Mu Tsu! I'm a guy!"  
  
"Okay okay jeese, you really have no sense of humour today Ranma."  
  
"Left it in my daughter's last diaper."  
  
"Go get her then, but please, don't hurt Xian Pu too bad."  
  
"I'll try."  
  
With that, Mousse reached for his mouth and removed the teeth protection he had on.  
  
"Damn, I was lucky to find this before I left Japan! I'd really be in need of a whole new jaw otherwise!"  
  
Sweat drops.  
  
Ranma entered the house. Shampoo had just put a crying baby in a crib, and looked a bit worn.  
  
"Daughter has pervert girl temper, always angry."  
  
"Must come from the fact that you took her from her parents."  
  
"Wanted one of own, not steal! But Great-Grandmother say it enough and gave honour back!"  
  
"Well, why don't you give Mu Tsu a try in bed then? His eyesight isn't genetic, as far as I know!"  
  
"What airen talking about?"  
  
"Most bad eyesight troubles appear later in life, but Mu Tsu's been there since he was born. Sounds like an injury when he was young."  
  
Shampoo shook her head. They were getting out of the subject.  
  
"Is of no consequence. Child is mine now. You go away, never come back. Please Ranma..."  
  
"Huh hu. No can do, Xian Pu."  
  
"Then we fight."  
  
***  
  
The fight lasted 3 hours. Obviously, Shampoo had been practicing with the Old Ghoul, but was also younger and knew what Ranma was able of. Ranma was also quite reluctant from hurting her too bad, Mu Tsu could be so annoying sometimes...  
  
***  
  
"I win, Xian Pu. Give me back my daughter."  
  
"You win again. You married. You have child. Xian Pu's kisses cancelled. Go take your child."  
  
But when Ranma and Akane reached the crib, there was nothing.  
  
All the Amazons cringed at the shout of fury that went out from the house. They didn't understand though : nobody else had gone inside.  
  
When Ranma and Akane had made sure nobody from the village had stolen their child away while they were not watching, they had looked over the whole area, some Amazons sympathetic to the couple's plight had even helped, but it was fruitless. Akane crumbled in tears, asking for her child.  
  
It was then that Ranma noticed the panda paw prints on the ground.  
  
  
"Hey! Are there any pandas in the area?"  
  
Mousse answered, a look of interrogation on his face.  
  
"No, every and all animals avoid this area, it's too close to Jusenkyo. Moreover, it's too populated here for a panda's likings."  
  
The Nerimians looked at each other.  
  
"Pop/Genma!"  
  
"But how could he have sneaked in, even being a panda?"  
  
"Using the Umi-sen-ken."  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"A technique he had created that makes its user invisible."  
  
"But... but I thought he had sealed it?" Akane had recovered enough to follow the conversation.  
  
"Well, yes, but he must have decided the situation was dire enough to unseal it."  
  
"And take our child away! But why?"  
  
"Pops doesn't like loose ends."  
  
Akane got REALLY pale.  
  
Ranma was already following the tracks at a breakneck pace, Akane hot on his heels.  
  
They caught up with him in Jusenkyo. He was back to human form, meditating in front of the guide's hut, the infant in his arms. Upon hearing Ranma and Akane approaching, he opened his eyes.  
  
"Hey Pop, you really frightened us there! We thought you had stolen our child... again!"  
  
"I had Nabiki telling me everything."  
  
"So?"  
  
"I cast Nodoka out of the Saotome Clan's registers. I don't think I'll play shogi ever anymore."  
  
Knowing how much Genma Saotome liked playing shogi, this last statement meant a lot (as for Nodoka, Genma had been able to do without for 11 years).  
  
"Why did you take her here then?"  
  
"First, I took her away because I wanted to be sure my granddaughter would be safe."  
  
"But why to Jusenkyo, Father?" Akane cast a nervous glance behind her.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Don't try to lie, old man!"  
  
"For two reasons in fact. The first, nobody dares coming near this place, especially not the Amazons."  
  
"And the other?"  
  
"Well, a male heir would indeed be better..."  
  
A scene of incredible violence followed.  
  
"...but I wanted to ask you before, as I feared your reaction if I did it indeed. Looks like you don't agree. It's not like I'd do the same mistake thrice."  
  
"Twice, yes. Three times no, I grant you that, old man."  
  
Akane was wondering, her child in her arms. "Three times?"   
  
"Me, Ranma : two times."  
  
"But you like your panda form!"  
  
"Wooden signs have gotten terribly expensive."  
  
"Use a Velleda writing board then."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Ranma decided to go back to te most pressing topic. "You know, I was afraid you'd take her with you on a training trip, never for us to see her again."  
  
"I'm too old for one, I'm sure she'd drive me mad before my age with both your tempers for two, you'd never let me rest for three, and no, you'd have seen her again at age ten, but no Nekoken nor Jusenkyo."  
  
"I thought you'd say that, but no thanks."  
  
Another voice rang in the valley.  
  
"Indeed, I'm not in the mood to look all around the world to find her. Japan is the farthest I want to go."  
  
Cologne was standing a few meters away, seething.  
  
"Ranma, Akane. Get your daughter, I'll give you time."  
  
"What?! Pop, you're not good enough!"  
  
"But you're tired, you have a family to protect, and she knows what you're worth! She would win!"  
  
"But!"  
  
"No buts, off you go! I'll see you where we learned Capoeira!" Saying so, he shoved a wrapped bundle in Ranma's arms.  
  
Ranma started to protest, but one look at the weary Akane and her child was enough to convince him. She nodded and took off, dragging Akane behind.  
  
Cologne started after them, but faster than his build would have let you believe, Genma was standing in her way.  
  
"Get lost, you fool!"  
  
Genma shook his head."  
  
"I'm not a Hibiki, sorry."  
  
"Then die."  
  
"You're 250 years too old to mess up with me, dried up monkey."  
  
"AAARGH!"  
  
Cologne attacked in earnest, but Genma managed to block, avoid or divert all her strikes, and Cologne was too furious to use shiatsu or other tricks. Then she stopped, a pulsating ball of light appearing at the tip of her staff.  
  
"Dragon Flare!"  
  
Too close to dodge, Genma crossed his arms over his chest, tucked his face in, camped himself on his legs and absorbed the blow.  
  
When the energy dissipated, Genma was still standing, his clothes a bit scorched but none the worse for wear.  
  
"Pfeh! Not any worse than the Master's Happo dai Karin! You gotta do better than that!"  
  
"Very well!"  
  
Suddenly Cologne got HUGE!  
  
And Genma grinned.  
  
"Really, you think it'll work against me?"  
  
The giant Cologne raised a foot and crushed Genma under it.  
  
Then she toppled over.  
  
Having a 50 feet tall Genma under your foot will do that to you.  
  
"When I use it as a panda, it's harder because I'm not as used to the body as I'd like, but in this state...!"  
  
Genma got even bigger.  
  
"Wanna rough it this way again, Old Ghoul?"  
  
Cologne deflated. Literally. So did Genma.  
  
"I can see where Ranma got his fighting prowess, after all."  
  
"Keeping up with the boy was tough, old ghoul. I'm not as young as I was. But well, you decrepit old mummy, you must know what it's like better than I do, right?"  
  
"You're still too young to beat me, Sonny."  
  
"You know, the Umi sen Ken was no the only art I created and sealed away."  
  
"If it's anything like the Saotome Secret Technique, go on, make my day."  
  
"OPENING THE GATE BLOW!" On Cologne in a flash, the blow cast aside her defences; the kick was enough to send her flying near the springs. Genma did not let up.  
  
"ANGRY DEMON GOD'S BOMB!"  
  
A swarm of vacuum blades headed towards the still slightly stunned Cologne. She avoided most of them, but two destroyed her staff, which exploded.  
  
"Humm, you used your staff as a chi battery? Good idea, that."  
  
"I'm not done yet!"  
  
With that, she cupped her hands and let loose a wall of fire. Taken by surprise, Genma could do nothing but get caught in it. thinking quickly, he sent a vacuum blade in the middle of the wall, and rushed through it. The blade disrupted the wall enough to manage an opening, but it was not enough for Genma to escape unscathed.  
  
"DAMN THAT HURT!"  
  
"Now Sonny, wanna rumble some more?"  
  
Genma let loose a swarm of blades, punches and kicks that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Cologne could do nothing but back off little by little.  
  
Until she was on the edge of a spring  
  
"Now you're gonna get it, Sonny! You remember what pool this is, right?"  
  
Genma remembered, yes. The same pool where his son had lost his manhood - well sort of.  
  
"The spring of drowned YOUNG girl, Sonny! You're spent, and I'm gonna come back stronger, tougher and faster than whatever you can hope to cope with!"  
  
Cologne took a step backwards.  
  
A splash was heard.  
  
And Genma grinned.  
  
"I had a very nice conversation with the Guide before, you know. And he told me some interesting facts. Let's take this spring for example. Well it USED to be the spring of Drowned Girl, all right. But since the springs overflowed and mingled one with the other, some swapped places... And the Nyannichuan became the Shonmaonnichuan (Spring of the Drowned Panda). And let me tell you, an old panda's body is REAL tough to fight with. Believe me, it's a topic I know quite well."  
  
Cologne held out a wooden sign saying 'You won't get away with this!'.  
  
"Another thing very bad with pandas is their fur. When it's drenched, it weights a ton. You have to train badly to get used to it. Not only that, but you get..."  
  
At this, Genma took a box out of his gi pocket.  
  
"...parasites very easily. A piece of advice : scratching only makes it worse."  
  
And Cologne ran, FAST, fleeing from the amorous fleas Genma had unleashed.  
  
"Good thing I'm bald, for once."  
  
Stifling a chuckle, he vanished in the bushes, masking all traces of his presence as he did so.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED?  
---  
Genma, being the Good Guy here? Let me explain.  
The Umi-sen-ken proved Genma to have some measure of responsibility over his actions when they endanger life : he never used his sealed arts after they made an indirect victim. Also, Nodoka Saotome proved to be quite unstable at times, and really honour driven. Had Ranma been unable to turn back to a man, I'm not sure she'd have let him live. For that, I think Genma took Ranma away because he didn't want him to be under her influence. As we could see, he provided (some) food to Ranma, got him to go to school (the uniforms have to be bought in Japan, so he was serious about it - see Ryoga's past, and then their arrival at the Tendo's. Also Ranma is in his age's class, sleeps less than Akane in it, even though he's not the brightest of the lot)...  
Akane kicking Cologne's ass? Let's see... Although not as fast as Ranma, she was able to count his strikes in Mikado's Ghost Dance of Death (whatever) at a distance, and the way she said it, she was close to be able to do it herself. As for her strength, the madder she gets, if still in control, then the more powerful she becomes. I mean, snapping a wrapping of pantyhoses like she did, requires tremendous strength. As for her mental focus, being able to make a doll's body move when there's no muscles nor joints to do so is QUITE an accomplishment. And with her strength of will, see the Elders' explanations about her timely intervention against Saffron. Moreover, Akane trained with Ranma as a sparring partner. We don't see it often in the manga, but her control improved over time.  
From this to think that, yes, Ranma was always FAR better than her, but if she improved at the same rate he did... Is she so bad when she's not as good as a guy who slain a god, but getting there? Also, she got Cologne by surprise by being far better than she was supposed to be, and prevented the old crone to pull out any trick. Shiatsu? What do you think the training trip to Joketsuzoku included, tapestry (kama-sutra tapestry reading too, but still...)?  
  
As I said, this could very well be a standalone story, yet some things are still open:  
-where are Ranma and Akane going?  
-what is their daughter's name?  
-what of Nabiki and Kasumi, now that they've broken Soun's orders?  
-and Ukyo? Was it a boy, or a girl? Not that I don't like her, but I think she was only in love with the idea of marrying Ranma. After all, as soon as marriage is not the main topic, she acts like Ranma's "best buddy Ucchan."  
-Ryoga? I never liked the Lost Boy, so to prevent character bashing, I had him stumbling upon the abduction and neutralized.  
  
Revision notes:  
Mostly, polishing grammar a bit, adding some little things here and there to make the thing a bit more fun at places, making dialogues flow better...  
  
C&C appreciated, constructive criticism welcomed, flames ignored. 


	2. To the World and Back : Converging lives

To the World and Back : baby sitting blues  
" " : spoken  
: thought  
( ) : translated  
  
---  
  
Ukyo sighed. Then cringed when another contraction made itself felt. Konatsu was here, a mask on his mouth, while a doctor and a midwife were helping his wife give birth. Nothing had ever hurt like this, not even the most intensive part of her training.  
  
"Okay, take a deep breath, hold it, when you feel the next one coming, PUSH!"  
  
"HUUUUNGGG!"  
  
"Come on, I can see the head! Do that again!"  
  
"You have it easyYYYY! #&@!! Doc!"   
  
"Very good! It's almost over!"  
  
"*Pant pant* Next time I get drunk Konatsu, you better not forget the rubbeeeEEEERDAAAAMNN IT!"  
  
"Keep you breath Ukyo-sama, you are nearly there."  
  
"(CENSORED)!!!"  
  
A wail made itself heard.  
  
"Congratulations! It's a b... No wait, it's a girl."  
  
"*pant pant* But the scan showed a boy!" Ukyo then got a disbelieving look on her face, soon followed by a pained scowl and she grunted. "I thought it was over doc!"  
  
"It's only the placenta. It should be easier. Push some more."  
  
"UUUUNNNNGGGH!"  
  
"Ooops, is not."  
  
"*pant grunt pant* Wh...What?"  
  
"Looks like you have twins. Ready to start over?"  
  
"(This part of the text has been censored because even the author can't describe how graphic Ukyo was)!!! AAAAARGH!"  
  
"Very good. It seems to go a bit easier this time."  
  
"*pant pant* EASY?!"  
  
"Well, if you push once more with all your strengh, it should be over."  
  
"You better be right! HUUNNNGRRRRAAAARGH! BLOODYHELLOFAMOTHERFUCKERDAAAAAMNIT!"  
  
Another wail.  
  
"Congratulation, it's a... Yes, it really is a boy this time."  
  
"*Pant pant pant* No other?"  
  
"No, and the placentas came along. It's over. What? You don't have enough of two?"  
  
Ukyo gave him a shaking finger along with her flat-lidded stare. The doctor chuckled.  
  
"Then you can take care of my Husband, he passed out, and give me my children."  
  
The midwife came closer, holding two small bundles wrapped in towels. She handed both very carefuly to Ukyo who took hold of them and got her first look at her children.  
  
"They're both very healthy. Congratulations."  
  
"I know it sounds stupid coming from their mother, but which one is the boy, and which one is the girl?"  
  
"Huh... It's..."  
  
"Never mind, let me present you Ranma and Akane."  
  
"Okay. I'll give them tags and put them in the newborn room. You'd better rest, and don't worry we'll bring them to you when you wake up and it's time to feed them."  
  
"Oh. Ok." Ukyo fell into a deep slumber, completely exhausted, a little smile on her lips.  
  
***  
  
"WHAT?! YOU INVERTED THE TAGS?!"  
  
"Huh... We're sorry...?"  
  
"You'll be sorry if you can't fix it!"  
  
"Humm... The records already left for Town Hall, you'll have to see with them..."  
  
"(CENSORED)!!"  
  
The nurse who was bringing the children in, had to shake her head and wonder what the kids would become with such parents, and that in fact swapping the names might have been appropriate after all. If cross-dressing and gender bending was even remotely hereditary, the names would fit perfectly.  
  
The doctor was already writing down that the mother was REALLY healthy (not like that!) and could go back home whenever she wanted. Until Konatsu told him that had she been well, Ukyo would already have the midwife flat and unconscious on the ground. So he kept the normal delay written down.  
  
Ukyo started to calm down only when the nurse finally handed her her children. The midwife used the distraction to get the hell out of dodge. Konatsu got closer to his wife and children and put is arm around Ukyo's shoulders, while she was breast-feeding Ranma and Akane. Ukyo had calmed down completely by now and was looking at her children tenderly. She turned her face towards Konatsu and kissed him softly.  
  
They were now a family.  
  
Of course, they completely forgot about having the documents having to be corrected. So they weren't.  
  
***  
  
A few days later...  
  
"KONATSU! Take my place at the grill, the children are crying!"  
  
"Yes Ukyo-sama!"  
  
"I'd like a shrimp okonomiyaki with cheese please."  
  
"Coming right up, sir."  
  
"Waitress! Where is my sake?"  
  
"It is heating, I'll bring it as soon as-"  
  
"Konatsu! Come upstairs quickly! I can't change both of them fast enough to calm them down!"  
  
"Yes Ukyo-sama!"  
  
"Waitress! The okonomiyaki's gonna burn!"  
  
"Oh I'm sorry! Here you go sir."  
  
"KONATSUUUU!"  
  
"Yes Ukyo-sama!"  
  
(...)  
  
***  
  
"We really need a baby-sitter."  
  
"Yes Ukyo-sama."  
  
"I really need to rest some more."  
  
"So do I Ukyo-sama."  
  
"I wonder where Ranma and Akane are now."  
  
"In their crib, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"No, not OUR Ranma and Akane. The OTHER ones."  
  
"Oh I don't know, Ukyo-sama. They must have their family's help for taking care of their daughter."  
  
"Yes, they mustn't have as much trouble as we do."  
  
"I hope they don't, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"You still get the 4am round, Konatsu."  
  
"Isn't it the time we usually wake up, Ukyo-sama?"  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
" It wasn't so hard back then."  
  
***  
  
Somewhere else...  
  
"Akane, the milk's boiling! It's too hot now! We'll have to wait for it to cool down! Real smooth!"  
  
"Hey! You were supposed to take care of that!"  
  
"I was changing her! I can't do two things at a time!"  
  
"What?! You started ten minutes ago! It can't take up that much time!"  
  
"Oh right, as if finding proper diapers in the middle of the mountains of China was an easy thing!"  
  
"..."  
  
"Can't you breast-feed her, by the way?"  
  
"Oh, you're right. I hadn't thought of that." (PS : Akane, through some medical treatment and a few manipulations, was still lactating normally)  
  
"Tomboy!"  
  
"Look who's talking, O epitome of manliness! You could do that yourself, you've got all the equipment!"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Shhh, you'll wake her up."  
  
"Anyway, it wouldn't work."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Me breast-feeding!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I got the equipment, but it is not in working condition."  
  
"..."  
  
"OOOOUUIIIINNNNN!!!"  
  
"Less talk, more action. I'll go wash her used diapers in the stream while you take care of our new beloved bottomless pit, then we'll go, ok Akane?"  
  
"Okay, okay!"  
  
***  
  
Nerima-sho, Tendo-ke...  
  
"Have you gotten news from Ranma and Akane, Nabiki?"  
  
"None Father. Let them enjoy their honeymoon."  
  
"It's been a month now, I'm worried about them going to school late for their last year."  
  
"You can be sure they're working on making you a proper heir."  
  
"I don't care about an heir anymore. If I could go back and fix only one thing, it'd be agreeing with Nodoka."  
  
"Too late for remorses Father. I don't think Ranma, Akane, Kasumi or I would forgive you. Especially now if all you made us go through proved useless."  
  
"I can't even forgive myself. Eventhough it is for the best. I had no choice."  
  
"..."  
  
"Oh well. It's too late now, and we don't have to worry about it anymore. I only have regrets weighting down my heart, not blood on my hands."  
  
"What?! You mean that hadn't Cologne been here to take my niece away, you'd have killed her in cold blood?!"  
  
"No, it's not that. Listen, it's better that you don't know what was at stake there. The child is safe, Ranma and Akane are too, we don't have to worry about it anymore. Nobody was killed, it's the only thing that allows me to sleep at night now."  
  
"You're hiding something from me, Father."  
  
"It's better you don't know."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Soun's face seemed carved in stone. Nabiki hadn't seen him so stern since the time they had learnt their mother was dying.  
  
"For our whole family's safety. And I do mean all of it. That is all you have to know."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Enough! You promised. One day maybe, I'll tell you all of it. When this day comes, I will tell you everything. But until then, you are to forget. It is too late anyway. I shouldn't even have told you that."  
  
  
  
***  
  
Yet another place...  
  
"Hey, you! Which way to the Unryu Farm?"  
  
"Quoi?" ('what?' in French)  
  
I though I was in Tokyo. Oh well. With this tower, it must be Paris then. "Dans quelle direction se trouve la ferme Unryu?" (which way to the Unryu farm?)  
  
"C'est japonais, ça, comme nom."  
  
"Par où, le Japon?" ("Where, to Japan?")  
  
"Par là." (this way), the guy said pointing westward.  
  
"Merci." (Thanks.)  
  
And Ryoga started North.  
  
"C'est peut-être plus court par là, mais il risque d'avoir froid... Bah!" (It might be shorter this way, but he's gonna be cold... Oh well.) The guy shrugged and turned back to his coffee and croissants, not seeing Ryoga disappear in a flash.  
  
(Sorry, I just couldn't resist!)  
  
***  
  
"Here! Finally, we're at the place." They were in the center of a village in South Korea.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"Well, I would have expected your father to be there long before us."  
  
"Naah, the way I figure it, he spent a lot of time hiding our tracks, then went his separate way to fool anybody trying to follow us. He should join us..."  
  
"GANGSTER!!!" A white-clad martial artist rushed through the place, followed by a crowd of obviously pissed off people.  
  
"...right now." Ranma ended with a bored look on her face. Akane just blinked, and their child kept sleeping.  
  
After a while, Genma had obviously shaken off his pursuers and joined them in a restaurant.   
  
"You learned capoeira in Korea? How comes, I thought it was a fighting art from Brazil..." Akane asked.  
  
"Well, some Special Force guy, staying here during the crisis in Korea in 1995, was a master. We challenged each other, and he got me good. I kept trying until I got the hang of it and thrashed him. Quite impressed, he taught me some more moves and katas, and that was it." Ranma was the one holding the baby for now.  
  
"Do you think he's still around?"  
  
"Naah, he must've left years ago, when his unit left after the crisis."  
  
"Oh well. Nothing's holding us there, right?"  
  
"Well, maybe... But there's something bothering me, it's how we're gonna go back, the all of us."  
  
Ranma had changed what money they had left when they had crossed the latest border and thus was able to provide for the meal, a small hotel room and their plane tickets back, as it had been planned.  
  
The problem was that Genma obviously hadn't been taken into account by either Ranma nor Nabiki, and they couldn't stretch their budget enough to afford a third plane ticket.  
  
This was the reason why they were now travelling by sea aboard a merchant ship, the couple completely female and the panda caged as soon as the first wave splashed overboard. It was cramped, it was long, but it was almost home.  
  
Did I say, almost?  
  
***  
  
"By the way, what do you think they named her, Ukyo-sama?"  
  
"Huh? Who?"  
  
"You know, their daughter."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"No idea. What brought this on?"  
  
"Well I was contacted by Nabiki Tendo, she is looking for a job. Not for herself, but for Kasumi."  
  
"Sweet Kasumi? I never thought she'd leave her house."  
  
"Sin e Ranma and Akane must now be the heads of the dojo, she may not feel needed anymore."  
  
"Maybe. So, what did you answer?"  
  
"I told her we would be happy to give her a hand, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"Konatsu, you remember what we talked about last week?"  
  
"Of course, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"Who would be better at taking care of our children than her?"  
  
"I am not stupid, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"You agreed on a price?"  
  
"No, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"Well, room and board, all costs covered, and a little pocket money should do the deed."  
  
"I'm not sure Nabiki-san will settle for too little a wage for her sister, Ukyo-sama."  
  
"*Sigh* you're right. Oh well, we're anything but hurting for money right now, sugar. And knowing Kasumi, we are about to hire ourselves a gold mine."  
  
"Would 20 yen a day be enough then?"  
  
"... I think we'll have to go over money's value again, sugar."  
  
"Oops sorry, old habits die hard."  
  
"It's okay honey. You still have duties to accomplish tonight, Konatsu."  
  
"I just fed them, Ukyo-sama. They're quiet now."  
  
"I was talking about me."  
  
Konatsu was anything but unrespectful of his duties.  
  
***  
  
Of course, the children woke up 20 minutes after Konatsu had started fulfilling his marital obligations.  
  
"Arrgh! We DEFINITELY need a babysitter!" Should we mention that sometimes Konatsu could be REALLY masculine?  
  
"You said it, sugar. Now c'mon, let's take care of our two impediments and then go back to our endurance training."  
  
***  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"We should have reached Japan days ago; these ships are on a very tight time schedule, and Japan to Korea shouldn't be more than 7 days, especially with such weather : no wind, slow currents, it should be a breeze."  
  
"Growf."  
  
"Well, why didn't you check with the captain what was wrong, Ranma?"  
  
"Oops, sorry! Habit, we usually traveled as clandestines before."  
  
"We've been raiding their kitchen everyday openly, and you still can't adjust?"  
  
"Well, it's no different than before, only now you distract them, Akane."  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Okay, I'll go ask the captain."  
  
Some time later...  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Even later...  
  
Ranma is facing Akane.  
  
"Well, the ship does go to Japan."  
  
"But?"  
  
"It stops in Los Angeles before that."  
  
"...How long?" Akane was obviously dreading the answer.  
  
"Twenty days forth, seventeen back, release for three or four days in L.A."  
  
"Forty days it is then."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Genma-panda had just found a tire to play with.  
  
***  
  
"Hello? Is anybody here?"  
  
Kasumi peeked into the new Ucchan's, quite intrigued by the fact that it was closed during a weekday. 


End file.
